Battery-feed for looms.



E. S. STIMPSON.

BATTERY FEED FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION HLED DEC. 8. 915.

Patented Oct. '24, 1916.

OFICE.

EDWARD S. STIMPSON, OF I-IOPEIDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COMPANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BATTERY-FEED FOR LOOMS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. STIMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of WVorcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Battery-Feeds for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to automatic filling replenishing looms in which a supply of filling carriers such as bobbins is maintained in a battery, hopper or feeder, and in which these filling carriers, when the supply of running filling is to be replenished, are successively transferred from the battery to the lay through the operation of automatic mechanism. One well known type of mechanism of this character, and upon which the invention herein more specifically considered is an improvement, is illustrated in my prior Patent No. 664,? 90 granted December 25, 1900. In this type the battery or feeder is rotatable through the agency of a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith and a feed pawl operated from some moving part of the mechanism such as the. transferrer device which transfers the filling carriers to the lay.

The object of the present invention is to insure at all times the proper and efiective cooperation of the feed pawl and the ratchet wheel so that the tooth of the feed pawl will in its actuating movement be positively directed into proper engagement with the proper tooth of the ratchet wheel and be seated firmly against the base thereof. This prevents any difficulty arising by reason of thetooth of the feed pawl coming into engagement with the wrong tooth of the ratchet wheel orinto engagement with the tip or point of the tooth of the ratchet wheel which in the former case would causean improper operation of the mechanism, and in the latter case might result in thebrea-kage of either the tooth of the ratchet wheel or the tooth of the feed pawl or so wear the parts as ultimately to lead to breakage.

This object is preferably secured by providing cooperating cam members one of which is fixed with respect to the ratchet wheel and the other of which is carried by the feed pawl and which by their cooperative action act to guide the feed pawl in its actuating movement until the tooth of the feed pawl Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

Application filed. December 8, 1915. Serial No. 65,812.

drawings and. will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

-The drawings illustrate so much of an automatic filling replenishing loom of the Northrop type and such as shown. in my prior Patent No. 664,790 above referred to as is necessary to-a disclosure of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation partially in transverse section of a sufiicient portion of the loom necessary to the disclosureof my present invention with its preferred form embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a front elevation partially in vertical cross section of the detent pawl, feed pawl and transferrer arm; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view to illustrate the path of the feed pawl in its actuating movement.

The general construction of this type of loom being well known and familiar needs no extended description. It includes the rotatable battery, hopper or feeder 1 comprising two parallel disks of which only one is shown provided with the seats 2 for the butts of the filling carriers, herein shown as bobbins, and rotatably mounted on the fixed stud 3 rigidly secured to the loom frame. This hopper or feeder is also provided with a ratchet wheel 4 rotatable therewith, and the teeth of the ratchet wheel correspond in number with the seats 2 so that as the ratchet wheel is moved one tooth a filling carrier is brought into position for transfer. The usual transferrer arm 5 is pivotally mounted at 6 upon a stand 7 secured to the loom frame. Upon the call for filling replenishment this transferrer arm which extends in between the disks of the feeder moves downwardly engaging the filling carrier and transfers it from the feeder to the shuttle then located therebeneath on the lay. The rotation of the feeder to present a fresh fillin carrier in position for transfer is secured by a feed pawl herein, as in my prior patent, shown as a sector shaped device 8 carried by a pivot shaft 9 mounted in a hearing 10 on the transferrer arm 5. The tooth of this feed pawl is a projection 11 properly shaped to engage with the ratchet teeth. This feed pawl is provided with means acting to move itlaterally into engagement with the ratchet wheel and into engagement with the transferrer arm, and this means is herein illustrated as a helical spring 12 fast at one end in the bearing 10 of the transferrer arm, and at the other end in a cap 13 pinned at 14L to the pivot shaft 9. Retrograde movement of the feeder is prevented by the usual detent pawl 14 pivoted at 15 to the stand 7 and movable by gravity due to the weighted foot 16 to bring its tooth 17 into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. A lateral lug 18 carried by an extension 19 engages the inner periphery of the flange 20 to prevent accidental disengagement of the detent pawl and ratchet.

The mechanism thus far described is substantially the same as shown in my patent before mentioned together with the helical spring construction by which lateral yielding movement of the feeding pawl is secured which is shown in my prior Patent No. 1,019,855 granted March 12, 1912. In the operation of this loom it not infrequently happens that the toothof the feed pawl comes into engagement with the tooth of the ratchet wheel at or near the point. This results in wear and immediately or finally in the breakage of either the tooth of the ratchet wheel, the tooth of the feed pawl or both. Furthermore, it renders more or less inaccurate the positioning of the feeder for transfer and occasionally the feed pawl in its actuating movement will catch against the next succeeding tooth of the ratchet wheel, thus improperly operating the feeder and causing a smash.

The object of the present invention is to insure that the feed pawl shall enter squarely into proper position in contact with the base of the proper ratchet tooth and to this end the invention provides for the guidance of the feed pawl in its actuating movement until it is brought into this position oruntil it is insured that it shall be brought into this position. The preferred form of construction for securing this end is the provision of two cam members one on the feed pawl and one located in a fixed position with respect to the ratchet wheel. In the construction illustrated the latter cam member is shown as a lug 21 projecting from the detent pawl 14. This detent pawl when in position is fixed with respect to the ratchet wheel. Moreover by locating this cam member upon the detent pawl the proper position of the detent pawl in firm engagement with the ratchet wheel is further insured because as it will be seen the action of the mecha nism is such as to press the detent pawl firmly into engagement with the ratchet wheel. The other cooperating cam member is shown as a flange 22 projecting from the sector shaped body 8 of the feed pawl and shaped substantially as shown.' The cooperative action of the cam members will be apparent from Fig. 3 of the drawing. The

actuating movement of the feed pawl takes place upon the upward movement of the transferrer arm 5. In this movement the helical spring 12 acts to move the feed pawl toward the ratchet wheel thus maintaining the cam flange member 22 in contact with the cam projection 21. Thus the lateral movement of the feed pawl toward the ratchet wheel is restrained and the movement of the feed pawl guided to carry the tooth 11 along a definite path. The cam members are so shaped that the path of movement of the feed pawl is such that the tooth 11 is carried clear of the ratchet wheel directly in front of the proper ratchet wheel tooth and brought into such a position that it is seated firmly against the base of the ratchet wheel tooth and thus the proper and eflicient action of the parts secured. Upon the downward movement of the feed pawl with the transferrer arm the cam 22 again comes into contact with the cam 21 and the pawl is in position to begin its next actuating movement. This control of the movement of "the feed pawl eliminates all the difiiculties heretofore existing in the proper engagement of the feed pawl and ratchet tooth, secures the proper cooperation of the parts, prevents improper operation of the feeder and breakage of the teeth.

Means are provided as usual by which the feed pawl and detent pawl may be thrown out of engagement with the ratchet wheel to enable the feeder to be rotated and set by hand. For this purpose a handle projection 23 is provided on the feed pawl and a lug 24 is provided on the detent pawl opposite the cam projection 22 in its elevated position. Hence the operative by grasping the handle projection 23 and swinging the feed pawl to the left will throw both pawls out of engagement with the ratchet wh el.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl, means for guiding the feed pawl in its actuating movement until its tooth is seated and to seat saidtooth in engagement with the base of the tooth of the ratchet wheel to be actuated.

2. In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl, means for guiding the feed pawl in its actuating movement clear of the ratchet wheel until its tooth is seated in engagement with the base of the tooth of the ratchet wheel to be actuated.

3. In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl, means for guiding the feed pawl in its actuating movement clear of the ratchet wheel teeth into engagement with the .base of the tooth to be actuated.

l. In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl,

' means acting to move the feed pawl in its actuating movement laterally into engagement with the ratchet wheel, and means acting to restrain said lateral movement during the actuating movement until the said pawl is in position to move into engagement with the base of the ratchet tooth to be actuated.

5. In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl, cooperating cam members onefixed with respect to the ratchet wheel and one carried by the feed pawl acting to guide the feed pawl in its actuating movement clear of the ratchet wheel until its tooth is seated in engagement with the base of the tooth of the ratchet wheel to be actuated.

6. In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl,

means acting to move the feed pawl in its actuating movement laterally into engagement with the ratchet wheel and cooperating cam members one fixed with respect to the ratchet wheel and one carried by'the feed pawl acting to restrain said lateral movement during the actuating movement until said pawl is in position to be moved into engagement with the base of the ratchet tooth to be actuated.

7 In a loom a rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl, a detent pawl, cooperating cam members one located on the detent pawl and one carried by the feed pawl acting to guide the feed pawl in its actuating movement clear of the ratchet wheel until its tooth is seated in engagement with the base of the tooth of the ratchet wheel to be actuated.

8. In a loom a. rotatable filling feeder to hold a series of filling carriers, a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith, a feed pawl, a detent pawl, means acting to move the feeding pawl in its actuating movement laterally into engagement with the ratchet wheel, cooperating cam members one located on the detent pawl and one carried by the feed pawl acting to restrain said lateral movement during the actuating movement until said feed pawl is in position to be moved into engagement with the base of the ratchet tooth to be actuated.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWARD S. STIMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the "Commissioner of ratente, Washington, D. G. 

